Frozen salmon burgers stuck together please help

I am a single person living alone, and I have very limited time and skills for cooking. Recently I bought a package of frozen salmon burgers from Trader Joe's, thinking it would be a good way to add more healthy fish to my diet. The directions on the box say to keep them frozen until ready to cook them. The cooking options include grill, saute and microwave.

I opened the box today to prepare one of the patties for lunch. I find that they are packaged so that two patties are frozen solid together inside one sealed plastic bag. I cut open the plastic bag, but the patties are too frozen for me to pry them apart and cook one of them.

Does anyone know the secret to separating two patties that are frozen solid together so that one remains frozen and the other can be cooked by itself? There is a piece of paper between them but they are so frozen that the paper is no help in separating the patties.

I thought about trying to use a knife as a lever between the patties, but I figure either I will break the knife or cut myself, or just not be able to get the knife in between them.

Thanks!!!

p.s. boo to Trader Joe's for being biased against single people trying to prepare a meal for one!!

My solution: hold one patty firmly in hand, smash other patty against edge of counter so that they shear apart. It almost always works the first time.

See, I'd thaw and eat both, but that's just me. :D

My usual fix is to stick stubborn stuck stuff in the microwave for about 10 seconds or so, depending on how powerful your microwave is. You just want to melt the ice on the outside. The rest of the patties should stay frozen, depending on how big they are, then you can chuck one back in the freezer (I'd eat it soon, though!) and eat the other.

Also: TJ has salmon burgers? Awesome! (Means I don't have to make them myself!)

I'd thaw them enough to separate them, then cook them both. Once cooked, they'll keep another couple of days.

I use a knife to separate veggie burgers that come packaged the same way. I find once you get the knife just a little ways down, you can kind of smack them apart.

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Originally Posted by Crankin

I use a knife to separate veggie burgers that come packaged the same way. I find once you get the knife just a little ways down, you can kind of smack them apart.

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spatula but the same idea.

I'm sure if they were individually wrapped someone would be complaining about increased cost and waste in packaging. You can't win.

I purchase really nice local grass fed beef patties that come frozen and packed in a stack that are stuck like that. I usually use a butter knife and a mallet… you don't have to hit the knife hard - just tap, tap, tap until the knife is between the patties about 1/3 of the way - then twist apart.